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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer
3 signed into law SB 1070, legislation that purports to crack
4 down on undocumented immigrants present in Arizona; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Among its many provisions, SB 1070 requires that
6 law enforcement officers in Arizona request documentation from
7 anyone they encounter if they have "reasonable suspicion" that
8 such person is present in the United States unlawfully; and
 
9     WHEREAS, SB 1070 also makes it a state crime to fail to
10 carry valid immigration documents; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Immigration law and policy and the enforcement of
12 our nation's immigration laws are federal responsibilities,
13 but SB 1070 would convert federal civil immigration infractions
14 into state criminal offenses; and
 
15     WHEREAS, SB 1070, in effect, authorizes police officers in
16 Arizona to harass minorities and engage in racial and ethnic
17 profiling, associating an individual's skin color and
18 appearance with "reasonable suspicion" of undocumented status;
19 and
 
20     WHEREAS, SB 1070 has been criticized by police and other

 

 

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1 law enforcement officials inside and outside of Arizona, who
2 are concerned that this new law will drain local law
3 enforcement resources and undermine trust between police and
4 immigrant, Latino, and other minority community members, who
5 may not report crimes or cooperate with law enforcement if they
6 fear for their own safety when encountering police; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Elected officials from both parties have
8 expressed deep concerns about SB 1070, including New York City
9 Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
10 Villaraigosa, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and former
11 Florida House Speaker and US Senate candidate Marco Rubio; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has long welcomed immigrants
13 and recognized the contributions of these newcomers; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Our state has long resisted and rejected attempts
15 to polarize against immigrants and, in particular,
16 undocumented immigrants; and
 
17     WHEREAS, As it had two decades ago, when it refused to
18 observe the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the
19 State of Arizona has again chosen a counterproductive path that
20 offends our nation's conscience; therefore, be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

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1 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
2 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we condemn, in the strongest
3 terms, the enactment of Arizona's SB 1070, legislation that
4 will foster racial profiling, drive a wedge between police and
5 communities of color, and diminish the effectiveness of law
6 enforcement; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That we call upon the Arizona legislature to
8 repeal SB 1070; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That we call upon President Obama and the United
10 States Congress to act quickly to enact comprehensive reforms
11 that will bring workable, practical, and humane solutions to
12 fix our broken immigration system; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That we reject the use of hateful rhetoric that
14 scapegoats immigrants for our national and state difficulties
15 and declare that such rhetoric has no place in federal, state,
16 or local immigration policy debates; and be it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
18 presented to President Barack Obama, the members of the
19 Illinois congressional delegation, Arizona Governor Jan
20 Brewer, and the Speaker and Senate President of the Arizona
21 Legislature.